Leading global coatings provider Hempel appointed to provide innovative tough coating solutions against corrosion to the Queensferry Crossing. Located on the busy Forth Estuary near Edinburgh, on the east coast of Scotland, it spans an impressive 2.7 kilometres, making it the longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Due to its extensive experience and high-quality coating solutions, Hempel was chosen to coat the 35,000 tons of steel needed for this innovative new bridge. The steel was manufactured in the UK and China and then transported to Scotland by sea and so it was important that the coating solution chosen would be tough enough to withstand the impacts and exposure during the 7,700-kilometre journey, and robust enough to protect the bridge from the harsh Scottish climate and coastal conditions for years to come.

Steel manufacturer, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (ZPMC) was impressed with Hempel’s range of high performance anti-corrosion systems. Hempel has an extensive track record of protecting infrastructure, including four of the world’s ten largest cable-stayed bridges, and so was appointed to provide a top-quality coating system for this project.

Kai Zhao, Project Manager, ZPMC said:

“We chose Hempel because we know the quality of their paint and the high levels of service we can expect from them. Their coatings deliver robust and stable performance against corrosion and their technical services are professional, precise and global, providing great support to this project. We have worked with Hempel for many years, with great success.”

Lars Risum, Group Segment Manager, Infrastructure, Hempel A/S said:

“We are proud to be a part of this spectacular piece of modern engineering. The Queensferry Crossing project required close collaboration and coordination between the customer (FCBC Consortium), the contractor (ZPMC) and Hempel on different sides of the world. We worked with both the steel manufacturer and the owner’s advisory engineering team in the UK during the specification process to ensure the coating systems were equal to the task. Our technical service teams worked at the steelyard in China and at the construction site in the UK to oversee the application and ensure the coatings were applied accurately and efficiently.”

Over 600,000 litres of Hempel coatings have been supplied. For the exterior, products applied to the Queensferry Crossing include Hempadur Zinc 17360 which is a highly weather-resistant coating offering cathodic protection against local mechanical damage. Hempadur MIO 47950 which combines a relatively high-volume solids content with a short drying time and Hempathane HS 55613 which provides a high-build finishing coat for protection of structural steel in corrosive environments. For the interior, Hempadur ZP 47940 was applied combining high volume solids content with short drying time. Hempel’s Galvosil 15700 was applied to the connection joints to provide the necessary coefficient of friction (slip resistance).